THE arrival of Storm Christoph saw a 36-hour rain warning issued across Sussex and the south of England.

The yellow Met Office alert, in place throughout today and lasting until noon tomorrow, forecasts "spells of heavy rain which may lead to travel disruption and flooding in places".

People in affected areas have been told to expect:

  • Flooding of a few homes and businesses 
  • Bus and train services to be affected with journey times taking longer
  • Spray and flooding on roads making journey times longer
  • Some interruption to power supplies and other services 

Brighton and Hove is blanketed by murky grey skies this morning, with high winds whipping along the seafront and spells of rain dousing the city.

Pebbles have been washed on to the promenade at Hove, although many of these remain from previous bouts of stormy weather.

The Met Office is predicting wind gusts to peak at 50mph between 11pm and midnight tonight, with the heaviest downpours expected at a similar time - between 9pm and midnight.

Storm Christoph is expected to have a more severe impact in areas further north, with an amber weather warning issued over the next few days across an area which includes Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Wakefield, Lincoln, Nottingham, Leicester and Peterborough.

Met Office chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong said: "Storm Christoph will bring a mix of notable weather hazards across the UK over the next few days.

"Some locations in central Northern England and Wales could see a month’s rain fall in just a couple of days, with up to 200mm possible over higher ground.

"These amounts of rainfall present a real threat of flooding and people should keep a close eye on flood warnings from the Environment Agency,  Natural Resources Wales and SEPA.

The Argus: Hove seafront this morning as Storm Christoph batters the cityHove seafront this morning as Storm Christoph batters the city

"As the system moves away into the North Sea on Wednesday night and Thursday morning we start to see the potential for hazardous snow as cold air is pulled across the UK from the north west.

"Notable accumulations of snow, up to 30cm in places, are possible in parts of Scotland.

"With the cold air in place across the whole of the UK temperatures will drop as we move into the weekend with a return to overnight frosts for many."